The test
Released in November 1986 on Sega Master System, Alex Kidd in Miracle World marked a whole generation of players. It must be said that from 1990, the game was directly integrated into certain versions of the console, which ensured a strong popularity. Obviously, nearly thirty-five years after its very first appearance, the original visuals really sting the eyes and an update seems relevant. The Spanish studio Jankenteam has ruled out the option of a real remake and favored that of the “Deluxe” version, which mainly focuses on graphic improvements.
Planet Aries, province of Radaxian: the young Alex Kidd, heir to the local throne, faces the henchmen of Janken the Great, who seeks to seize the area. So much for the scriptwriting aspect which, the 80s oblige, is naturally limited to the strict minimum. More remaster than remake, this DX version respects as much as possible the structure of the original adventure. We will see later that this choice is not without negative consequences, but it at least has the merit of fulfilling its primary mission: to allow players of 2021 to enjoy the mythical Alex Kidd in Miracle World in more technical and artistic conditions than correct. And from this point of view, we can consider that the success is total. The big unsightly graphics blocks of the 8-bit era and the horrifying “chiptune” music of yesteryear give way to a very pleasant soundtrack and visuals.
Thus, the screens are enriched with multiple atmospheric or light effects totally absent from the original work (rain, halos, slight deformation of the image under water, etc.), the graphics benefit from a skilfully measured pixelation (sufficiently present to maintain a retro feel and subdued enough not to appear outdated), the relatively vivid colors are softened by a slightly hazy filter, and the animations are much more detailed than before. Moreover, if the character of Alex Kidd remains recognizable thanks to his large ears, he is now wearing a martial arts belt which twirls according to his movements. This subtle addition could well be a reference to the monkey tail of Son Goku since, remember, Alex Kidd in Miracle World is the result of the abortive development of a project stamped Dragon Ball. In short, the aesthetics of this new version has it all, and all you need to do is press the right trigger on the controller to be convinced. Indeed, the developers have not forgotten the now traditional before / after function, which instantly displays 8-bit graphics and thus measure the progress made in thirty-five years.
FOR BOOMERS MORE THAN FOR KIDS
Was video games better before? From a gameplay and general comfort point of view, it is doubtful. Willingly faithful to the founding title, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX proves once again that nostalgia is not all good. The controls may be limited to movement, jumping, punching and using objects, the game is particularly demanding. Strangely, the developers didn’t really choose to revisit this “die & retry hardcore” aspect. They still reviewed the maneuverability of the hero … but in a very curious way since it seems even more slippery than before! During the jumps, you have to constantly think about compensating for the extra step that Alex will inevitably take at the landing. Collisions with certain enemies also suffer from approximation, the fault of hitboxes that are too large and / or not sufficiently permissive. These problems responsible for “unjust” deaths are all the more irritating as, by default, the adventure retains an archaic system of lives. We start the game with only three lives, and the game over is final once we have lost them all. Then you just have to start all over again.
Hardly acceptable in 2021, except for the most masochistic among us, this principle can be softened thanks to the option “infinite lives”, which actually bears its name rather badly. The hero always starts with three lives, but once they are depleted, the game usually resumes at the start of the current level, or at one of the all-too-rare invisible checkpoints. This means that everything above a particularly strenuous passage will also have to be retried dozens of times, which is a ‘good’ way to artificially increase the lifespan. Despite the presence of a few additional levels compared to the original adventure, and of a certain variety in the action (underwater or air passages, boss sequences that combine rock-paper-scissors confrontation and more classic fights …), the game actually offers little content once you undress it. Understand by this that, in absolute terms, there is roughly a single hour of “raw” gameplay, which is finally stretched ad nauseam in as many hours as it takes to attempt and retry the most difficult passages until success. As for the reward that salutes the final victory, it consists of the unlocking of two additional modes: Boss Rush to face the bosses in a loop, and Classic to relive the adventure completely in retro mode . All this leaves an aftertaste of too little, especially since the game is sold at a relatively high price, since it flirts with the 20 € in dematerialized and the 30 € in physics.
